EU Parliament gives green light to air passenger data deal with the US
A new agreement on the transfer of EU air passengers' personal data to the US authorities was approved by the European Parliament on Thursday. The deal sets legal conditions and covers issues such as storage periods, use, data protection safeguards and administrative and judicial redress. The agreement will replace a provisional deal in place since 2007.
Under the new agreement, US authorities will keep PNR data in an active database for up to 5 years. After the first 6 months, all information which could be used to identify a passenger would be "depersonalized", meaning that data such as the passenger's name or her/his contact information would be codified.
Source: EU Parliament News; for further details look here>>.
European Union: airline black list updated
On April 3, 2012, the European Commission has adopted the 19th update of the European list of air carriers which are for safety reasons subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union. Conviasa, an air carrier certified in Venezuela, was added to the list due to safety concerns. Following constructive consultations, Libyan authorities decided to adopt strong measures applicable to all air carriers licensed in Libya, which exclude them from flying into the EU until at least November 2012.
Source: EU press release IP/12/342 of 3/04/2012
Find updated list here>>.
European cruise industry sees strong growth ahead despite current challenges
The international cruise industry, whose top priority is ensuring safety of passengers and crews and which is fully committed to learning lessons from the recent tragic Concordia incident, is confident that it will continue to see steady growth in Europe, said European Cruise Council Chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio. Among Mr. Lefebvre d’Ovidio’s reasons for optimism, he listed the broad recognition among European policy makers that tourism is a key element for Europe’s recovery, the strong potential for further market penetration and the innovative character and resilience of the cruise industry in the face of previous economic and political upheavals.
Source: European Cruise Councilnews release of March 12, 2012
Reported to IFTTA by Patrice Tedjini.
USA: DHS report says X-ray scanners at airports are safe
The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that full-body X-ray scanning machines at airport security checkpoints use an "extremely low dose" of radiation which is safe for passengers. The report refers to a Johns Hopkins University assesment of 2010 which said that a passenger would have to be screened 47 times a day for a year to exceed yearly limits of radiation set by the American National Standards Institute.
Source: USA today; finad article here>>.
UNESCO: cruise ships should steer clear of Venice lagoon
UNESCO has called on the Italian government to restrict access of large cruise ships to culturally and ecologically important areas, particularly Venice and its Lagoon which are visited by some 300 large cruise ships a year.
In a letter sent to the Italian Environment Minister on behalf of Director-General Irina Bokova, the Assistant Director-General for Culture Francesco Bandarin writes that “the tragic accident [of the Costa Concordia on 13 January] reinforces longstanding concern over the risk that large cruise liners pose to sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, particularly the Venice Lagoon and the Basin of San Marco.”
After presenting UNESCO’s condolences for the tragic loss of life caused by Costa Concordia accident and praising the efforts of the rescue teams and local population in dealing with the disaster, the letter urges the government to act quickly to develop alternative plans for maritime traffic around the World Heritage site of Venice.
The cruise liner traffic in Venice is particularly damaging because of the fragile structure of the city. The ships cause water tides that erode the foundations of buildings. They contribute to pollution and impact the cityscape as they dwarf monuments in the heart of the city.
Source: UNESCO press release of Jan. 23, 2012
European Economic and Social Committee: opinion on tourism in Europe published
On 30 June 2010, the Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Article 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, on the "Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Europe, the world's No 1 tourist destination — a new political framework for tourism in Europe" (COM(2010) 352 final). At its 474th plenary session, held on 21 and 22 September 2011, the European Economic and Social Committee adopted an opinion which was now published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Find the full text of the opinion here>>.
IFTTA Law Review 3-2011 now available
The third edition of the IFTTA Law Review is now available in pdf within the members' section of the website. It focusses on cases related to the Montreal Convention and the Warsaw Convention in particular with regard to the issue of exclusivity.
UNESCO recognizes Aceh’s Saman Dance as Intangible World Heritage
The Saman dance from Aceh has joined batik, wayang, and angklung as Indonesian’s contribution to UNESCO’s list of intangible world heritage as announced in Bali Thursday, November 24, 2011. The Saman Dance was included in the list under the category of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
Source: eTurboNews; find article here>>.
Scotland: Human Trafficking Report
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published its findings from its Inquiry into Human Trafficking in Scotland. The Commission inquired into the nature and extent of human trafficking in Scotland. It focused on trafficking for the purposes of forced labour, domestic servitude and criminal exploitation, but more explicitly on commercial sexual exploitation, which Baroness Kennedy QC called ‘the most prevalent and pernicious manifestation of human enslavement’.
The Commission has made ten recommendations designed to improve responses to human trafficking, put victims’ needs at the centre of the issue and make Scotland a more hostile environment for traffickers.
The report found that:
Human trafficking is a serious violation of human rights, and a modern form of slavery. It feeds on poverty and inequality, and it is a crime.
Human trafficking exists throughout Scotland, with victims found not only in the sex industry, but in hotels, restaurants, farms and domestic homes.
Human trafficking in Scotland arises from the exploitation of vulnerable victims, demand for cheap labour, and profit-driven organised crime.
There is little public or professional awareness of trafficking and insufficient cooperation by agencies, leading to an intelligence gap on traffickers.
Scotland has made some progress on tackling trafficking but lacks a comprehensive strategy to effectively deal with this crime. The Commission of Inquiry recommends that:
Scotland should pioneer a strategic, victim centred approach to trafficking, focussing on human rights and crime prevention. This should be in place before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.
Scotland needs to raise awareness of trafficking issues so that individuals and agencies know what trafficking looks like, where it happens, and what to do about it.
Agencies must share information more systematically to improve performance on gathering intelligence, successful prosecutions, and supporting victims.
There is a case for a new Human Trafficking Act, which would address the crime of trafficking directly, and which would enable more prosecutions of traffickers.
Scotland needs end-to-end services for victims, with practical assistance accessible wherever a victim is found.
The Scottish Government has welcomed the report and pledged to act on its recommendations with the development of a zero-tolerance attitude to human-trafficking.
European Commission updates airline black list
On Nov. 21, the European Commission has adopted today the eighteenth update of the list of airlines banned in the European Union. Close and intense cooperation with the aviation authorities of two countries - Albania and the Russian Federation – has led both countries to adopt strong measures in order to control and contain any risks to safety of their air carriers flying into the EU. Thanks to further improvements in the safety performance of TAAG Angolan Airlines the air carrier is allowed to add two aircraft to those operating into the EU. The Commission was compelled to impose operating restrictions to exclude part of the fleet of Jordan Aviation in view of numerous and repeated safety deficiencies and to ban fully all operations of the air carrier Rollins Air certified in Honduras.
The Air Safety Committee, which met from 8 to 10 November, also examined various cases of European air carriers. The Commission is urging the authorities in several Member States to further enhance their oversight of these air carriers to ensure that all airlines established in Europe operate at the highest safety levels.
Source: European Commission press release IP/11/1375 of Nov. 21, 2011
Updated blacklist available in pdf here>>.
